A Week in the Life of Mano en Mano- August 9-13
August is halfway over, and it is safe to say that the Mano en Mano team has hit our stride! From the classroom, to the blueberry barrens, and across the Downeast community, we have been busy supporting community members, students and families. Read a bit below about the work that Mano en Mano did the week of August 9th to August 13th to support our communities to thrive!
Workers harvesting blueberries in Cherryfield
Blueberry Harvest School (BHS)- It is the second week of school and both students and teachers have settled into their routines. Everyone has been busy working on many different projects, including: book making, poetry writing, team tower building, seed planting and the creation of beautiful works of art!
Lead art teacher, Philip Berezney, has had the students working with many different mediums and materials to explore their creativity- including chalk, paint, glitter, clay and collage work. Students have taken an active role in their creative education, choosing which projects they want to focus on and what materials they want to work with. This focus on art and encouraging students to pursue their interests is part of a larger BHS goal: to support students in their socio-emotional development and provide spaces where students can celebrate their identities. Feedback we received from parents and guardians last year indicated that art and focusing on socio-emotional growth is something that parents want to highlight this summer, and our theme of Creative Community does that both inside and outside of the classroom.
Aside from creating works of art, students are learning creatively in many different ways! The 3-4 year old class got outside and created their very own river terrariums. These terrariums help students learn about the flora, fauna and habitats in Maine and have students actively engaging with their environments. Students in the 5-6 year old class are also learning by doing, and created two different types of planters so they can grow their own plants. Not only are students learning the importance of water, sun and oxygen in a plant's development, they will also soon be able to taste some of the basil, cilantro and mint they have planted. Look out for a more detailed perspective into what is happening in a few different classes at BHS this summer, coming soon!
BHS teachers and administrators held a Student Caretaker Meeting in order to receive feedback from the parents and guardians of our students. This meeting was designed to provide a space to collaborate and to see where we can focus the curriculum and activities of the program to better meet the needs of students and families. Following the vision and goals set by families is essential to our success, and ensures that the learning environment at BHS is representative of the diverse identities, histories and goals of our communities. Parents and teachers reviewed the daily schedule and talked about everything from the lunch menu, to curriculum. These conversations will continue to guide educators this summer, and aid in planning the upcoming BHS Community Night.
On Friday, BHS took a field trip to Sandy River beach in Jonesport for a day of fun in the sun! The weather was hot and sunny and perfect for a day of swimming, tide pool exploring, bubble blowing, and sand castle making! The field trip was a perfect way to end another busy week at school.
Camp Services- Our camp services team was busy planning educational and enrichment activities for students located at blueberry camps across Washington and Harrington counties. Our team went the distance to bring services directly to students, and spent the week teaching English classes, supporting students in their literacy development and successfully organizing a pizza and Field Day for students and their families. About fifteen students and their families attended and participated in lots of different lawn games and activities, including: a Free-Throw Face off, a Ladder Toss Toss-off, and Cornhole Competition. Everyone who participated received prizes donated by the Wabanaki Health and Wellness.
Access to Essential Services and Advocacy- This week the Access and Advocacy team spent time visiting community members in rural parts of Washington and Hancock county. The team went to Deblois, Harrington, Colombia Falls and Cherryfield in order to distribute food boxes, clothing, and resource bags to workers and their families. These resource bags are created in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole and contain information about services, events and organizations in the area.
The team has also been connecting with farm workers directly via text messages, voice messages, WhatsApp, and phone calls. By being accessible when and where workers need support they can help to connect individuals with other agencies and resources in relation to financial, social, medical, nutritional, legal and housing assistance. In total we distributed 182 boxes of food, and supported about 70 people access warm clothing this week.
COVID-19 Social Support- Last week our COVID-19 Social Support team organized two COVID-19 Binax testing events, performed outreach to connect with seasonal workers seeking health and vaccine services, and met directly with individuals across Hancock and Washington County. Many individuals are seeking information about vaccine services and want to connect with someone who both speaks their language and can depend on for support. Our bilingual COVID-19 Social Support team is able to fill those gaps in support and provide information about the COVID-19 virus, testing, and vaccine clinics so that information is accessible and reliable.
COVID Testing
And that brings another busy but productive week to an end at Mano en Mano! Next week is our final week of the Blueberry Harvest School! Please visit our site for updates on the last week of school and what other projects we are up to!
Questions about Mano en Mano? Please reach out to Emma at emma.mcdowell@manomaine.org for more information. We would love to hear from you!
If you are interest in supporting our work, please consider donating to Mano en Mano!
